Hi Clint,
I cannot say... I had never heard of a problem before Steven mentioned it.......
Gene Matheny....years go (grey airplane above) had an old T Bird that he made a series of experiments with balanced elevators and found that the basic concept has some real merit to reduce the loads that occur on hard corners. He found that the majority of stunt models available in those early daze' often were designed with stab and elevators that were simply too flimsy' built to lightly to withstand the heavy G loads that many stunters would be subjected to (especially in higher wind conditions and again if the models weight was on the "biggins-side"
That grey "Genie Bird" of Gene's was built EXTREMELY LIGHT IN WEIGHT....and in those days we didn't have exotic graphic-fiberglass and beefy glues to HOLD EVERY THING TOGETHER...and often models of that period had some pretty short life spans n' DIDN'T HAVE VERY MUCH LONGEVITY.
Many were retired early (crashed) from flutter & stress cracks. Gene found that by utilizing those balance tab elevators...this beautiful light weight model of his not only turned more consitantly but also tighter and grooved even better....using the balance elevator principle?
(In my Free-Flight fright "MINI HOGAN days...etc. IT WAS PRIORITY ONE that the stab and rudders stay EXACTLY WHERE THEY WERE DESIGNED...and contests were alway won or lost...in just how well the model stayed together during the engine run faze....and then into the transision into the proper circular glide slope path.
Nothing was worse than a stab that was softer and flexed more on one side of the stab or the other. Naturally, this would made SIZABLE changes in the flight path and could make or break an otherwise beautifully built and aligned model.
It has always never ceased to amaze me just how little effort stunt model builders give, when it came to the design and built up time spent on that ALL IMPORTANT STAB-ELEVATORS.
Especially when IT IS THE STAB AND ELEVATORS that can also MAKE OR BREAK...even the prettiest and well built stunter?
Bottom line:
Whether or not the tab'd n balance elevators are used or not....STABS AND ELEVATORS MUST REMAIN AS STIFF AND FLEX FREE AS POSSIBLE!
Over the years...I have seen more stunters built with stabs and elevators that were waaay to soft and flexible. One modified Nobler that I can remember that I tacked on TWIN RUDDERS... That model forever BUZZZED AND FLEXED. In fact it FLEXED SO MUCH (I swear I could see not two...BUT OFTEN FOUR RUDDERS from the blurrr of the flutter.
NOT GOOD!!!
HEY GARY LETSINGER! YOU REMEMBER THAT MODEL....JUMP IN HERE AND TELL EM' JUST HOW FUNNY THAT MODEL LOOKED AND FLEW!! Any one who flew that model...was always alarmed and afraid that the whole back end of that plane would part company one each and every corner. That was one really scarey model.
Here are two extremely successful ICON models...that use balanced elevators with huge success